Prerelease:Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

The success of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories was enough to meet the demands of another entry for the PlayStation Portable, which allowed Rockstar Leeds to expand their developmental horizons and take fuller advantage of the handheld's hardware.

Developmental Timeline

2006

• May 10 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is officially revealed at E3 2006, with an "October 2006" release.
• Oct. 31-Nov. 7 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is released for the PlayStation Portable.

2007

• Mar. 6-9 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is released for the PlayStation 2.

2006

May

First Trailer

The game was revealed at E3 2006.

• Vic's casual clothes were at one point yellow instead of blue, as seen in the first trailer for the game.

Early	Final

• Vic's tattoo is also visible in some early screenshots. The texture still remains in the final game.

• Louise went through some changes as well, appearing older and with black hair.

She would have also appeared in her aerobics outfit in the mission Shakedown, while in the final she only does so in Fear the Repo. This texture was left over in the final game.

Early	Final

• When held captive, Forbes is never seen without a bag over his head. This exact scene does not occur either.

Early	Final

Interview

https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/09/vice-city-stories-the-interview

Second Trailer

https://www.ign.com/videos/2006/09/26/gta-vice-city-stories-psp-ladies-and-gentlemen-lets-pop

October

BradyGames Strategy Guide

The strategy guide by BradyGames that was released alongside the original PSP release shows a multitude of differences.

Missions

• Soldier

After getting on the boat and being ambushed by the assassins, you would be tasked to defend yourself from them with an M16 and eventually forced to abandon the ship. This was replaced by a short cutscene in the final game, but leftover text and audio remain.

The women on the dealer's boat can be seen in the water as well, but are nowhere to be seen in the final version.

Early	Final

• Cleaning House

The cutscene when meeting Phil at the shooting range was slightly changed. The walls of the range also used a different texture.

Early	Final

The cutscene of Phil explaining what a cholo is was changed to focus in on them. Additionally, three enemies were highlighted on the outside and there were four enemies inside, while the final has two.

Early	Final

• Conduct Unbecoming

The guide shows one of the unused lines.

• Boomshine Blowout

The guide describes and shows an additional cutscene at the end of the mission. After Phil drives off with his boomshine, Vic runs off on foot while firetrucks arrive at the burning warehouse.

• Takin' Out the White Trash

The guide states "..it's imperative that you avoid using a firearm. Not only do you run the risk of shooting [Louise], but also because the hillbillies return the gesture by whipping out their own boom-sticks if you use a gun." and that "...they target Louise first.", neither of which happen in the final mission. It's worth noting that according to an unused piece of text, at one point the mission would have failed if a gun was used at all.

• D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

The guide notes that "Surprisingly, the [Pay n Spray] is complimentary in this mission!", which is not the case in the final game.

• Jive Drive

According to the guide this mission would have rewarded $1000, while in the final game there is no reward at all. Screenshots show it was not a simple typo.

• The Audition

The guide describes a cut failure state: "Forbes' car is scheduled to be destroyed at 6:15am. A worker with a chainsaw spawns at this time to chop the vehicle up. If he's successful, the mission is failed." The mission fails instantly if you fail to get in the impound yard on time and after you're in, the time doesn't matter at all.

• Kill Phil: Part 2

The cop being gunned down when entering the stadium seems to have been a short cutscene instead of just walking in on it.

Early	Final

• In the Air Tonight

The marker where you drop Reni off at the airport was originally near one of the entrances, while in the final game it is in the same spot where Jive Drive begins. Additionally, the marker to enter the stadium was at a side entrance on the southeast side of the stadium, while in the final it was moved to the same spot where Caught as an Act begins.

Early	Final

Early	Final

• Farewell to Arms

Gonzales is standing up in the cutscene, while he sits down in the final. The camera is also focused on Diaz during the particular line shown in the screenshot.
The roadblock originally had an enemy with a rocket launcher. The roadblock was further down the street as well.

Early	Final

• Over the Top

An early version of the mission is showcased. After meeting Phil at his depot, he would tell you that a rig is needed to get into the army base. You'd be instructed to drive to the airport parking lot (next to the Vice City Transport Police building), Phil tells you to meet him at the base while you'd grab the Linerunner from the lot. After arriving to the base with the rig, Phil creates a diversion while you drive the Linerunner next to the small utility house next to the wall of the base and you'd use the small platform there to jump on the Linerunner's hood, then the cabin and make your way over the wall. In the final version you drive Phil's truck straight to the base, where he creates a diversion and you jump over the wall using only the utility house which now has an additional structure to make this possible.

• Last Stand

The guide claims that after landing on the roof, the rocket launcher found there contains 1000 rounds, while it contains only 2 in the final mission.
The cutscene showing Martinez arriving on the rooftop used a different camera angle.

Early	Final

Screenshots of the final confrontation and cutscene show multiple bodies on the rooftop besides Mendez and Martinez, which the guide doesn't make a mention of. They appear to be using enemy models seen throughout the mission, so it is fair to assume that there was either regular enemies on the roof with the antagonists or that the bodies belong to the pilot and passenger of the helicopter shot down on your way to the roof.

Early	Final

Side Missions

• Many of the side missions didn't have proper names, using generic ones instead. Screenshots show some of these names in-game, confirming that they were not simply titled differently in the guide.

Early	Final
Driver	Swinger's Club
Hunter Target	Skywolf
BMX Mall	Mashin' Up the Mall
Hovercraft Race	Haiti Hover Race
Hovercraft Race	Harbor Hover Race
PCJ Playground	Playground on the Town
PCJ Playground	Playground on the Point
Air Race	Crims on Wings
Multi Vehicle Race	Land, Sea and Air Race
Fire Heli	Fire Copter
Heli Tours	Vice Sights
Shooting Range	Phil's Shooting Range

• According to the guide, Haiti Hover Race would be unlocked from the beginning instead of after From Zero to Hero. This was most likely changed as the hovercraft could be used to travel to the locked half of the map early.
• According to the guide, the Sunshine Autos races would be open from the beginning, instead of after When Funday Comes.
• According to the guide, Watersports would be unlocked after From Zero to Hero, instead of after Say Cheese.
• In Phil's Shooting Range the target scores for the assault rifle and sniper rifle courses were changed from 2500 and 3000 to 2000 and 2500, respectively.
• Besides using a different texture for the walls, Phil's Shooting Range had brighter lighting as well.

Early	Final

Rampages

A whopping 25 out of the 30 Rampages were changed. The earlier Rampages seem much more difficult in general, with the guide singling #16 out as one of the most difficult.

#	Target (Early)	Target (Final)	Weapon (Early)	Weapon (Final)
1.	Trash 15 Vehicles	Trash 10 Vehicles	Rocket Launcher	Molotovs
2.	Terminate 45 Bikers	Terminate 25 Bikers	Minigun	AK-47
4.	Take out 25 Bikers	Take Out 20 Bikers	M259	Silenced MG
5.	Kill 20 Cholos	Kill 25 Cholos	Sniper Rifle	Sniper Rifle
6.	Execute 50 Cholos	Execute 20 Cholos	Minigun	Pistol
7.	Exterminate 25 Bikers	Exterminate 25 Bikers	Laser Sniper Rifle	AK-47
9.	Eliminate 40 Cholos	Gun Down 25 Cholos	MP5	Scorpion
10.	Erase 45 Cholos	Erase 25 Cholos	Spas 12 Shotgun	Micro SMG
11.	Mow down 20 Bikers	Drive-by and Eliminate 20 Bikers	Vehicle	Micro SMG
13.	Neutralize 30 Cholos	Hack and Slash 25 Cholos	Stubby Shotgun	Katana
14.	Kill 40 Bikers	Kill 25 Bikers	Rocket Launcher	Shotgun
15.	Take out 30 Bikers	Take Out 25 Bikers	Laser Sniper Rifle	Sniper Rifle
16.	Decimate 30 Bikers	Decimate 25 Bikers	Remote Grenades	Grenades
17.	Decimate 45 Sharks	Decimate 25 Sharks	M249	M16
18.	Terminate 25 Sharks	Terminate 25 Sharks	Shotgun	M16
19.	Destroy 12 Cars	Destroy 10 Vehicles	Minigun	Minigun
22.	Squash 10 Sharks	Kill 10 Sharks	Vehicle	Golf Club
23.	Explode 20 Vehicles	Explode 15 Vehicles	Rocket Launcher	Grenades
24.	Destroy 20 Vehicles	Terminate 30 Sharks	Minigun	Minigun
25.	Kill 25 Sharks	Extirpate 25 Sharks	Shotgun	Laser Sniper Rifle
26.	Blast 20 Vehicles	Kill 25 Sharks	Rocket Launcher	Equalizer
27.	(Drive-by and) Obliterate 15 Bikers	Obliterate 25 Bikers	Micro SMG	Equalizer
28.	Eradicate 30 Sharks	Eradicate 30 Sharks	M16	SMG
29.	Level 12 Vehicles	Level 12 Vehicles	Rocket Launcher	M259
30.	Eliminate 25 Sharks	Eliminate 30 Sharks	Stubby Shotgun	Rocket Launcher

Two Rampage locations were also changed. #4 was behind a building just west of the final location while #13 was slightly shifted around.

Early	Final

Early	Final

99 Red Balloons

Seven balloons had their location changed, these screenshots also show some changes made to the map. Interestingly, the old billboard locations in the last three screenshots are identical to those found in the original Vice City.

• #20

Besides the balloon being ever so slightly moved, the building it was stuck on got a makeover. The Logger neon sign on the roof was repositioned so it faces the northeast corner of the building, though in this shot it appears to be facing the front of the building. Looking at the HUD map, it also seems like either the bridge that was added to make travel to Fort Baxter easier was not yet added or was just missing from the map.

Early	Final

• #47

Originally located under the dish, it was moved in a palm tree just behind the building the dish is on.

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• #82

The telephone pole was removed for some reason, leaving the balloon just floating there in the final.

Early	Final

• #86

The balloon was moved half a block, into the overhang of the building with the vertical blue stripes.

Early	Final

• #91

This billboard would have been on the grass next to Lance's house. The balloon was moved under the low balcony of the small house at the end of the road.

Early	Final

• #96

This billboard was removed and the balloon was moved under the overhang of the building on the left.

Early	Final

• #99

The (then blank) billboard was moved to the other side of the road. There seems to be another billboard in the background (on the right) as well that doesn't exist in the final.

Early	Final

Weapons and Vehicles

• Two vehicles are referred to by earlier names. The Violator is still named Scarab internally.

Early	Final
Scarab	Violator
Pitts	Biplane

• Two weapons also had their name changed. The Equalizer is referred to by two different names throughout.

Early	Final
.357/Python	Equalizer
Venom 9mm	Scorpion

• A boat called the Ambassador is listed in the vehicles section, but with the same screenshot used for the Speeder later in the same section.
• The FBI Rancher and VCN Maverick are included in the vehicles section and the slide door VCPD Maverick is shown in a screenshot.

Three weapon pickups were changed.

• The pistol pickup in Vic's barracks at the start of the game was originally an M16.

Early	Final

• A camera was available outside of the mission Mugshot Longshot in Ocean Beach, by a pool behind the building across the street from the Pole Position club (same as Rampage #17 in the map above). The pickup was replaced with an Equalizer in the final game.
• A second pair of brass knuckles was placed in Ocean Beach, just across the street from the empire site near the Ammu-Nation. This was replaced with a Spas 12 and moved behind the southernmost building along the same street (hedge fence with a red balloon in the opening).

Weapon prices were also adjusted at Stonewall J's. The Downtown Ammu-Nation also sells the Scorpion and grenades $10 cheaper at $350, though this may just be a typo as grenades are listed at the correct price for Vice Point Mall's Ammu-Nation.

Weapon	Price (Early)	Price (Final)
Butterfly Knife	$10	$7
Machete	$100	$75
Pistol	$240	$180
Scorpion	$350	$270
Stubby Shotgun	$1,200	$900

Characters

• Lance is seen in the red shirt and jeans outfit throughout the guide, even after Brawn of the Dead when he would change into the pastel suit seen during the rest of the game. He can be seen in the pastel suit in a few screenshots, notably on the page for Blitzkrieg, which has two side-by-side screenshots of him in both outfits. It's likely that all the cutscenes were simply not yet finalized by this point.

• Louise appears with an earlier design in every screenshot she is in.

Early	Final

Other

• The subtitles use a different font.
• All markers (mission triggers, checkpoints, coronas and interior entrances), their map blips and the "Mission Passed" text were all yellow instead of pink or blue.
• The empire development menu is still in an earlier state and uses older icons for the business types. Mpirian Real Estate had not yet been changed to Ionic Real Estate either.

Early	Final

Early	Final

• While only the gate on the eastern side of the island is closed until From Zero To Hero, the guide states that Starfish Island would not be open for "a very long time" after the mission Conduct Unbecoming.
• The Downtown Dirt Track isn't present on the map, as was the case in the original Vice City.

Early	Final

• One of the screens showcasing Red Balloon locations has a green "211" on it, which is actually a part of the debug menu. The number shows up when spawning a vehicle and 211 corresponds to a Sentinel.

• The pink flamingo and the small graffiti on the wall of 101 Bayshore Avenue were missing.

Early	Final

• The section showcasing the unlockable outfits shows some early names.

Early	Final
Casual Clothes	Casuals
Pimp Outfit	Leisure
Cuban	Cuban Style
Win	Winner

Characters

• Early screenshots of the final cutscene show a third body on the rooftop beside Diego Mendez and Jerry Martinez. He appears to use the model of one of Diaz's goons, seen in the cutscene for the mission Steal the Deal.

Early	Final

Vehicles

• An unknown bike was featured in early preview screenshots. Whether this was an earlier version of the PCJ or Streetfighter bikes or an entirely new bike is unknown.

Miscellaneous

• Ionic Real Estate was originally Mpirian Real Estate.

Early	Final

• The empire purchase menu was different as well.

Early	Final